Milford Railroad Station

Milford Railroad Station

Located along the railroad tracks in Milford, the station is no longer used by the freight line which runs directly behind it. The property was first shown on an atlas in 1859. It consisted of a turntable, an engine house, and a dip. Nine years later, the Beer’s Atlas displayed the engine house and station. A later addition included the freight station. Pictures taken in the early 1900s portray the long shed roofs covering the platforms. The overhangs and extensions of the building were shortened and replaced because they protruded too far into the way of the newer equipment being used. The one-story brick building has a hip roof and extended overhangs. Pilasters adorn the portions between the openings and the corners. The entranceway has a flat brick arch. Along the track side is a baggage door. During the twentieth century some windows have been bricked in or boarded over.

The railroad came to Milford through the efforts of several distinguished town leaders. The venture was made possible by Governor Peter F. Causey, Truston P. McColley and son Hiram W. McColley, John Houston, Henry B. Fiddeman, Daniel Curry, Curtis S. Watson, Caleb S. Layton, William V. Coulter, and Richard France. This group of men made up the first Board of Directors. A marble plaque was placed on the side of the building which honored the men and the inauguration of the railroad.

The railroad station was very significant to the town, especially with growth and economics. The railroad helped Milford to grow financially as farmers were more cheaply able to send the crops to market. Peaches were a major crop in the mid to late nineteenth centuries. Peaches were such a great commodity that large freight wings had to be added to the structure to keep up with the shipments. As other products were then able to be shipped into town, newcomers became attracted to the increased business in Milford. Soon the town was developing and adapting to the needs of the people.

The structure has not had any drastic architectural changes within the last several years. It looks almost identical to when it was first built in the 1800s. The railroad has abandoned the station which has been adaptively reused and preserved. It is now the location of a local business called Hermann Financial Services.